Fire of the Wolf
by Iceagesurvivor123
Summary: Everyone knew the story about the girl who ran with the direwolves. Gendry just didn't believe them until he saw them with his own eyes. This bastard somehow gets himself wrapped up into the games of Kings and Queens, and Arya is more than willing to add him to her pack.
1. Chapter 1

Gendry had always heard the rumors. Everyone in Kingslanding had. Mothers whispered the stories to their children before sleep, and Lords would drunkenly laugh about the tale at a table. It was a bit ridiculous, though. Everyone knew a direwolf never came south of the wall.

The less believable part was the she-wolf that rode on the back of the largest direwolf; the human girl who was wilder than a wilding, and ate on the flesh of man and beasts alike. The story goes that a direwolf crept into the House of Stark and stole away with a babe in the den of night.

Gendry knew the stories weren't true though. Everyone knew the second daughter of Lord Eddard Stark was stillborn. Or at least, that's what Gendry always thought.

Being face to face with a giant, growling beast was enough to change his view of the matter.

Gendry had just wanted to take the black. He wasn't particularly fond of the snow and the cold, but it was more honorable than being a bastard. His apprenticeship had been cut short, ordered so by some great power that Gendry didn't know. All he knew was that he was homeless, poor, and nothing. Castle Black seemed the most logical solution.

Now, Gendry was sure he wouldn't even get to take a stupid, bloody oath. He'd be the dinner for this mad beast that had chased him through the forest and far from the camp. The direwolf opened its wide jaws, mouth big enough to swallow his head whole, when the ground started to shake.

The footsteps were quiet, and yet heavier than any horse he had felt run. The creatures were unlike any Gendry had ever seen before, excluding the one ready to rip his head off_. _He was sure he was going to be a feast for the pack of wolves, until he heard a whistle and a sharp voice, "Rand! Back!"

Gendry had almost pissed himself in fear as the hulking black direwolf finally crept back from him. Its eyes never left him or was it the throbbing vein in his neck the beast was staring at?

More importantly, Gendry thought, what had called off the wolf?

The giant pack stepped out of the way easily, all grunting low in either anticipation or acceptance. Gendry couldn't tell which, but he thought the latter sounded better for his survival. He eyed the wound on his shoulder, the blood that seemed to be caking over his body, and wondered if the wound or the wolves would kill him first.

He hadn't believed it when he first saw her. She was wrapped in stained leather and fur; tanned, scarred skin covered her arms, her stomach, and her calves. A thick belt hung low on her hips, with two daggers, a small sword, and a latched bag. Her dark hair was long and in a braid, slicked down with oil but still wind swept and wild. It all piled up in a hood with wolf ears that wrapped around her neck. She was barefoot, and her dirty toes seemed to fit perfectly into every groove, rock, and tree in her path. Gendry was almost certain she was part of the ground by how quietly she walked.

Her body was lithe and lean, and Gendry could tell she was pure muscle like her wolves. She came to stand before him, dark eyes staring deep into his. She was suddenly crouched down, one hand on his head and the other on his chest.

"You are hurt," She said, a spark of anger in her eyes. "Did Rand do this to you?"

Gendry tried to remember that Rand was the wolf that had chased him down, but he couldn't decide from her expression what the right answer would be. Finally, he shook his head, "No, he didn't. Uh, I got into a fight with some men on their way to take the black, and I ran but Rand chased me down."

She nodded, appeased by his tale. Gendry decided that she didn't need to know why he got into the argument with Yoren. He also decided that she wouldn't care.

"Rand is like that. As soon as he smells blood, he chases," She paused, shooting a look back at the pack or wolves. Gendry couldn't even tell which one was Rand anymore, with all of the thirteen wolves watching him warily.

The girl was up again before Gendry could blink and was already walking back to the wolves, "Does he look like a Lannister? Look at him; he is naught but a green boy! Barely nine-and-ten!"

Rand whined as she berated him, crouching low to the ground. How could such a small girl strike such respect and fear from these wolves? Gendry had never believed in the stories, but were they true? Was this girl the princess of wolves that roamed in the forest?

He didn't really see the point in denying it now.

The girl was back in front of him, trying to help him sit up, and said "I wish to repay you for the troubles my brother has caused you. Tell me, is there anywhere you wish to go?"

Gendry had heard that the she-wolf was nothing less than cruel, but here she was, offering to help when her wolf had only helped him escape from a life he didn't want to live. She had nothing to repay, and he told her so.

The she-wolf accepted it, unlike any girl that he had ever known would have done.

"At least let me tend to your wound before it festers. I do not want an innocence blood on my hands."

He knew that his blood would be on Yoren and not her, but for some reason he let her work above him, fixated on the wound. Maybe it was because he liked the way her long face looked when it was concentrated on something, or that her long braid fell out of her hood and he could just smell her.

And he liked it. The smell of freedom, of the trees, of the harsh winters of the north. She smelled of blood too, and wolves, and horses, for some reason he couldn't put his finger on.

As she worked, Gendry and her talked. He asked her where she had been and she simply laughed, "Oh, it feels like everywhere. I was raised beyond the wall, farther than even wildings lived, but as I grew older I also grew restless and we moved to Winterfell. We lived in the forest and I learned to steal food and weapons. Then we went to The Twins and The Eyrie. Some of his people let us stay below the blood gate, but then Cana killed two men. Of course, Arryn never knew of it. We spent many years just traveling the kingdoms, mostly. We have wanted to return to the north for years, but the war makes it too dangerous to travel. I had heard rumors so I went to the Free Cities with Nymeria. Aki, Lupin, Marrok, Phelan, Lobo, Kyiaya, Onai, Cana, Akali, Rand, Minsi, and Llop stayed behind."

"Did you find anything there?"

The she-wolf seemed to consider before answering, "I found a lot of things. None of which I was looking for, but something far better."

Her tone told Gendry that she didn't want to talk about it, and he found himself easily accepting of her desires.

She worked over his wound for an hour before finally deciding it would take a moon to heal. Gendry was more than half asleep when she finished, and when he awoke he found her and a pack of wolves sleeping.

The she-wolf was half on top of him, an arm wrapped tightly around him, and the rest of the wolves had found ways to wrap themselves around her for warmth. Only her and another wolf, one Gendry thought was Rand, had tried to keep him warm.

He laid there for a while, not being able to sleep because of the pain in his shoulder and the sheer fear of the pack of direwolves surrounding him. Gendry contemplated what he would do now. The wall was out as an option and his master had sent him away. He supposed he could work in a forge, but where would he get work? He looked down at the wild girl in his arms.

She was kind and smart, yet she had an uncivilized way about her, like something wild was just below the surface. Now that he was looking, he could see that she was beautiful. Beyond all the dirt and grime, her recently tanned skin was marred with scars, and yet she could cause a stir in him. Gendry felt himself growing attached to her, as he laid watching her until dawn broke.

He decided that he would like to travel with her, and when she awoke he asked her permission. She seemed unsure, but after thinking it over, she said yes.

"I am going back across the water, if that changes your desire."

"Didn't you just get back?"

She smiled affectionately and rubbed the head of Kyiaya, "I came back to check on my family, and the state of the realm," She said the last part as an afterthought, like it wasn't something she even wanted to do. "My boat for Pentos leaves today. We must hunt and then ride to Highgarden if we wish to make it."

The she-wolf walked over to Nymeria and quickly jumped on her back, graceful as ever. Her hands sought the white fur and held tight.

"Get on Rand." She ordered.

Gendry sputtered, "He tried to eat me the other day! Or have you forgotten?"

She smiled kindly again, "Yes, but he also spent all night protecting you from the cold. We forgive in this pack, and we look out for each other. Rand is sorry for what he did, and unless you want to be left behind, you must forgive him and trust him."

Gendry couldn't even remember why he wanted to join this wild girl as he tried to get on the wolf. He had never even ridden a horse, and now he was expected to ride this beast. The thought scared him, but he remembered what the girl said, and found it easy to do as she bid him.

Rand was gentle and helped Gendry get use to riding him. He didn't want to hold tightly and hurt him, but he also didn't want to be thrown off. The direwolves ran fast; Nymeria and the girl far ahead of the pack. By the time Rand and Gendry caught up with them, two deer were being feasted on.

The she-wolf was sitting under a tree, her own meal around her. None of the wolves came to eat hers, but fought with each other over the carcasses. He got off of Rand and sat beside her.

"I was wondering when you two would show up," She said in a teasing tone.

Gendry smiled, "We all weren't raised to ride wolves."

"I suppose not," was her only reply, before handing him fruit and some meat, "I did not know if you were used to raw game or not, so I found some fruit for you."

Gendry was touched that she had even thought that much. Certain that he would have had to fend for himself, he nodded appreciatively and they ate in silence.

He learned that they were eating rabbit and the wolves got the deer. She told him the rabbit tasted better raw, but he found that hard to believe.

"Why do they all listen to you? Why have none of them turned on you yet?"

She-wolf seemed taken aback by the question and sighed, "I am the oldest. I have killed the most. Our mother raised me to be the alpha. It is a lot of factors, but mostly it is because I am their sister. I may not be by blood or birth, but they raised me and I raised them. We all suckled from the same teat, we all ate the same food, we all grew and learned and played together. When our mother died, they just looked to me to lead and I guided."

For the second time today, Gendry wondered what it must have been like to be raised by wolves. If the story was correct, she was naught but a few months old when she was taken. She probably had no memory of her human parents, but yet why was she so kind? Why was she so kind when by all rights she should have been a monster?


	2. Chapter 2

Arya didn't know what to make of the boy.

He was tall and strong. He obviously spent a lot of his life doing manual labor. Yet, he told her he had no place in the world. He was going to work at the wall when she found him; the big, ice fortress that kept the creatures of the forest away from Westeros.

She knew how easy it was to sneak past the men of the Night's Watch. The free people who had taught her the common tongue when she was young told her all the stories and history of the old crows and, more importantly, how to get past them.

Arya slowed her pace, allowing the boy to catch up with her. She found herself wondering if he was the bull that the trees whispered to her about years ago, on her sixth nameday. He certainly looked like a bull, all hulking and big. He had a calmness about him though, one that reminded her more of mouse.

"You will not hurt him, you know." Arya said as she pulled Nymeria. The direwolf got the signal and walked close to her brother, barely above a brisk walk. Arya knew she wouldn't get to Highgarden at this pace, but found herself not caring. Daenerys could wait a few more days if need be, she decided. The Dragon Queen needed to learn that Arya wasn't her servant, but her equal, after all, and running about doing her bidding wasn't a good way to show that.

The boy smiled at her, apologetic, "Forgive me, m'lady, I just don't want to try his patience anymore than I have."

"I am far from a lady, boy," Arya reached out and stroked the soft, black fur atop Rand's wide head, smiling at the jape. Her brother was built to be fast, she knew, and going this slow was probably frustrating him. Nymeria also shared sympathy for their brother, gently nudging her head against his.

After a few minutes of silence, Arya un-threaded her hands from Nymeria's thick pelt. She reached over and grabbed the boy's hands, taking note of how warm and shaky they were, and helped embed them into Rand's fur. She did the same to her own, flexing her fingers between the coarse hairs, "They have an undercoat that is more durable," She said, "It does not hurt to pull them here."

The boy nodded again, and Arya couldn't tell if it was the sun but she thought his cheeks tinted a dull shade of red.

Ignoring it, Westeros boys were strange, she decided, she showed him how to get the direwolf moving.

After intervening, the pair moved much quicker. Rand was still slow, sensing his nervous and sloppy rider, but they did end up at the dock in time.

Arya was almost reluctant to return on time, knowing her intended lesson wouldn't be learned if she simply followed the Targaryen's orders. In the end, she decided it wasn't important. Daenerys obviously valued her, or she would have sent her away when she first showed up at the Dothraki camp. It wasn't everyday that someone ran into a direwolve ordered about by a girl, after all.

Arya had heard the whispers of the dragon queen, but all the rumors in the realm paled in comparison to the real thing. The dragons were only babies, but they still breathed a hotter fire than one could build. Already they could melt strong metals and kill on command. Their mother's temper weighed heavily on them and encouraged them to be as powerful as in the stories. They loved pleasing their mother. Nymeria was uneasy around the beast, as direwolves and dragons were rarely around each other in the old days, but wouldn't let Arya go anywhere near them alone.

She could still remember Daenerys' expression as she walked confidently into the Dothraki camp, one hand on her dagger and the other holding onto Nymeria. The Dothraki people were caught between awe and anger at her sister, but Daenerys had only been happy and all smiles. There was something deeper in her expression though, something Arya couldn't put her finger on.

She said goodbye to her siblings, settling on Kyiaya to be in charge. Arya felt like a weight was lifted off her chest and silently thanked the Gods for sending this bull boy to her. Without Rand to be obnoxious, her pack's safety was assured.

She touched heads with Kyiaya, holding her snout as gazing into her eyes. She was authority. She was the alpha. She tried to convey everything to her in that look, and when her sister licked her cheek she knew that she was understood.

They would wait for her as they always did. When she was younger she would sneak into towns for days and wait for the right moment to steal fresh meat or bread. Her siblings were always in the dark, watching out for her. The forest around Highgarden weren't disturbed often, and there was plently of food. It was a good spot, but worry still nagged at her. She desperately wished she could bring all of them with her, but a boat that size would cost too much and she could only guess how well her rambunctious siblings would fair on water for two weeks.

Ayra didn't bother saying goodbye to the rest of her pack. Kyiaya would handle it. She was the most responsible. For all that Nymeria lacked in responsibility, she made up for in protection. Nymeria would die for any of them without even thinking about it. She would kill. She would torture.

Nymeria had taken a wilding boys arm off, and a specific groin area, for attempting to steal her in the night and make her his wife. Many had tried to take her, just because they wanted to say they stole the "Direwolf Queen", as they had taken to calling her, but this one would have gotten away with it. He was a massive man, well into his twentieth name day, and despite her strength she couldn't escape from him. It was after that escapade that Arya left the wildings, and only rode Nymeria.

The bull boy watched her. He'd been watching her for a while, she knew. She also knew tales of her had accumulated great fame, especially after she had secretly helped Robb Stark and his attack on the Lannisters. Depending on who told the story, some said it was the Wolf Queen and others said it was Robb himself.

What stories had he heard about her? Was he waiting for her to rip his throat out with her bare teeth, like the stories? Or was he waiting for her to sick Rand and Nymeria on him?

She decided it was okay for him to have a healthy level of fear for her. For now, anyway.

The ship captain yelled in a mixture of Low Valyrian and the Common Tongue. His gestures to the second hulking beast made his words clear, though. She simply dropped a bag of dragons in his hand as she walked past him, effectively silencing him. Her hand dug into Nymeria's coat, the only thing giving way to her unease. Her sister sensed this and gently licked the side of her face as Kyiaya had done minutes ago.

She nuzzled her head into Nymeria's neck, silently thanking her for the comfort.

It wasn't that Arya didn't trust the Pentos man, as she and Nymeria could easily skin him if he tried anything, she just wasn't looking forward to this trip. It had been hard enough for her to decide to cross the water to the Free Cities the first time, but after six moons of debating, the rumors of what lied beyond the waters forced her to travel. Westeros was all she had ever known. Daenerys had said she was like the Dothraki in that way, too afraid to cross waters she didn't trust.

She looked back to make sure the bull boy was following her as she entered below the deck. He was, although he was looking more and more like he was regretting his decision to ask to travel with her. She still didn't know why she said yes, but something about him had made her want to do so. She blamed it on the trees and their whispers that still blew like the wind between her ears even though she was far away from any Gods woods.

Her room, as it was last time, was large. The captain had promised her that it was big enough to accommodate her and four other horses. He didn't lie. The room was lavish too, and she suspected that some Princes spent their time here in the past.

The bull boy looked in awe around the room. She looked in contempt.

"You can have the bed," She said, barely sparing it a glance.

He looked at her like she was insane, "It's a featherbed. I've never even _seen _one before."

Arya only said, "Well, you will do more than see one for a fortnight."

She ignored his stares. She had tried a bed before and she found herself unable to sleep. She tossed and turned the entire night, unable to get comfortable on the too soft surface. The blankets heat was nothing compared to the feel of her siblings. The floor would more than suffice, as would Rand and Nymeria.

Given that Rand would want to sleep with her. She considered that as she watched Rand out of the corner of her eye. Her brother had never been taken with anyone. He was always the outsider of their little group, always the one to get in trouble. He was the youngest, and the least cautious. She couldn't count how many times she'd berated him or been made to clean up after him. She was always certain he would have stumbled off in the middle of the night and she would never see him again.

And yet, there he was, carefully watching some human boy they'd only met the other day. What was more queer, was the he wasn't watching him as a meal. He felt protective over the boy. Rand had never felt protective of anything in his life, not even himself.

When she awoke the other morning and saw Rand curled around the bull boy, she had been shocked. She figured that Rand was possibly the reason she hadn't even considered the boys request. If Rand saw something in him worth protecting, then she would have to look after him.

Dinner passed quietly.

Rand tried to climb onto the bed but it squeaked hazardously under his weight and the boy's eyes widened so much that Arya thought they would fall out of his head. She gently called him over, smiling at his sulking expression, and quickly curled up with him.

She was happy her brother had found something to care for, and when the bull boy's breathing deepened she whispered so. His ear twitched at the sudden warmth of her breath, but his dark eyes only stared at her until she herself fell asleep.

She dreamed of Aki, her silver brother who ran so fast he almost flew. Aki was hunting a stag and he could smell Lupin and Cana behind him. Aki gestured with his snout to his sides and heard the pair dash in each direction. They were going to trap the stag. He could see it just out of reach, its thick legs bounding for its life. If Akali was there she could have easily jumped on its back and snapped its neck, as Akali could jump farther than any direwolf Arya had known, but Akali was elsewhere at the moment, and Aki had to make do without his twin.

Just another inch. He sped up, his claws pulling up the Earth as he silently rushed after it. Cana came out of the left, gripping the neck of the deer in her powerful jaws and twisted. It stopped.

She awoke to the smell of fresh meat. Arya opened her eyes and saw Nymeria chewing on a piece of thigh, with a chunk next to Arya's sleeping head. Groggy, she reached out for the food.

The boy was watching her again. It wasn't a weary expression like yesterday. This time he was curious. She found him sitting at a wooden table, eating some sausage and beans. Rand was close to him, but far enough to make the boy feel comfortable. Arya quirked an eyebrow at him as she bit into her food, silently enjoying the way he gulped in surprise as he caught a glimpse of her teeth.

They stared at each other for a few minutes, until he blinked and said, "I never told you my name."

Arya shrugged, "And you do not have to."

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow, and he looked to be in pain as he carefully asked, "Rand? Nymeria? All those other wolves? If I don't have to tell you my name then why do they need one?"

She shook her head and simply said, "They do not need one. I can tell who each of my siblings are with my eyes closed. Do you think they know they have names? No, they can tell from my voice who I am talking to. See how they are not paying us any attention?"

The boy looked at the two direwolves, seeing them obliviously eating as this conversation swirled around them. When he looked back to her, she continued.

"Their names came from the Free People. We stayed with them for five years after our mother died. I know what the realm thinks of them, but I was much more savage before they found me."

Arya smiled affectionately at her memories. Despite only being around six, as the woman who took her in guessed, she still had vivid memories. Back then, she would have ripped the throat out of anyone, true to the stories, who came near her family. Her teeth were sharp enough, from years of eating her family's diet.

It took her a while to learn their language, but she learned. She also learned other things with them, like to not kill people on sight and that she was not, in fact, a direwolf.

"It is only out of habit that I call them these names now, as it is out of familiarity that they respond. I can tell who you are, boy. You smell of grass and metal and sweat. Your skin is rough and your breath is heavy. Your steps are sure, but loud and sloppy. I do not need a name to recognize you, but if it is what you prefer, then you may call me Arya."

She could see her words sinking in, and she watched him process everything as she ate some more.

After a few minutes, he mumbled the word, "Gendry" into his cup.

And that was that.


End file.
